Indian chieftain. [volume] (Vinita, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1882-1902, 1887-01-20
TOO MANY MEALS.

Examples OF WattcTlI Zee ling which
Conycy n Most Importlnt Lesson.
The bills for feed worried me. They
were large, and | wondered If there was
n corresponding gain in the animals
fed. 1t was all right with the COWS, for
there was the butter 10 offset the extra
food. The calves and young cattle
were growing and looked as well a.
they did in summer. The oxen were
gaining and every day adding to thcir
weight, but the hogs were the stickcr.
/ watched the meal 20 into the bins
and into the troughs and the manure
90 out Of the door Of each pen and at
last made up my mind something was
wrong. There was too much food used
FOX the apparent gain. 1t has been q
hobby Of mine, aud is yet, that the
manure made by the hogs is worth
about rs much for the farm IN
the long run as the bran and other feed
. costs; still, l wanted to get my pay for
the feed ont of the gain in the hogs.
This | feared l was not doing, thcr,
vas so much meal used. There was
one pen of pigs to be killed, and the
man was directed to give them
a full supper but no breakfast and this
was done.
They were slaughtered about noon
Of the day after the last meal had bceI
given to them. This consisted Of three
parts wheat bran aud one in bulk Of
wheat canaillc. When killed Their
stomachs were full. They might have
held more, but they were really full Of
the bran and canaillc. II looked nat
ural but hal an acid smell. This food
was in She process Of digestion. Be
yond the stomach the large intestine,
were also filled. / was satisfied that
my hogs had been oyorfcd-not given
too much at q meal, but they had been
given too many meals They had been
fed three times a day, and the excess ol
food had crowded the contents Of the
stomach and bowels along in It's pas.
sage before IL had been we'll digested
and assimilated, and 80 the heap Of
manure had been excessively large
without n prop0rtionate gain IN the
hogs. Let us see. Their breakfast
was between seven and eight o'clock,
dinner at noon and supper at five To siN
O'Clock. Within these hours IL was i'm.
possible Tor this mass Of food 10 have
been changed TO chyle, the incipient
blood. am now astonished at m,
own stupidity in not thinking Of this
before.
j found out several years ago that
there Is limit TO the quantity Of grain
a horse can digest and TO give Il any
more is a great injury. and that thu
amount horse should have is less than
many suppose. have also found out
and demonstrated that fattening cattle
are usually fed moro meal than they
eau digest, and that there is great
waste generally in their feeding. J
only feed tho beef cattle morning and
night, and not more than four quarts
Of meal at mess. with roots and hay.
Why my hogs. hundreds Of them,
should have had three full m, ais a da,
seoms now TO be queer, for an sure
they never needed II. and one meal
was thrown away 50 far as any gain in
The growth Of the hogs was concerned.
have changed my system Of feeding
and now the store hogs and all OF those
fattcning get but two meals IN twenty
four hours. i feel confident shgt three
meals will be a saving OF ono-third Of
the amount Of food and an equal
GAIN n p, cur'ls. N NJ Il 4rib'ns